


We Could've Been

by Cutie_chan



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Angst, Character Death, Crying, Falling In Love, M/M, Magic-Users, Non-Graphic Violence, Oikage Week, One-Sided Attraction, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV First Person, Seductive behavior~, Swearing, oikage
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-13
Updated: 2018-10-02
Packaged: 2019-04-22 07:32:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 11
Words: 8,238
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14303856
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cutie_chan/pseuds/Cutie_chan
Summary: Oikawa and Iwaizumi fall through a portal which takes them to another, alternative universe. There, they meet many people and go on a journey to find their way back home.When they stumble upon Kageyama who is in prison for an unknown reason, Oikawa begins to question what 'home' really is.





	1. Confused as Hell

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Oikage week Day 1, Fantasy AU  
> The rest of the chapters will be posted after the week
> 
> Enjoy!

So me and Iwa-chan were pretty happy, in fact, the whole of Aoba Johsai was because we just won our game against Karasuno 2-0, they couldn’t even get one set. I finally got to show that prick Tobio who the boss was. And to be honest, I think Karasuno were also happy about the game, losing was probably the only thing that could’ve shown Tobio that he wasn’t all that, that what he was doing wasn’t right as a setter. Even though the idiot had the skills, all he ever did was show them off, he only did attacks that relied on his skills and I could tell Chibi-chan was losing it.

Anyway, he lost, we’re happy, so we went to this local ramen shop to celebrate and we even saw some Karasuno members there as well. The shop gave us free drinks and we had a little party and all was well.

Then, on our way home, the weirdest thing happened.

It was just me and Iwa-chan on that street then suddenly, everything went black, completely black. I couldn’t even see myself when I held my hands up and I started calling for Iwa-chan. I was confused and kind of scared, I think he heard me because he started calling back and we were both shouting out to each other. The darkness wasn’t going away. Then it felt like we were falling, and I was screaming with my eyes tightly shut. Then next thing I know, I land on some grass in what looked like a massive field. And Iwa-chan was there as well, we were both quiet for a really long time after that, until Iwa-chan punched me in the face!

It hurt like hell and I started yelling at him but then I shut up when he asked me if I had woken up. It was a dumb question but I got what he meant, I always do. But still, he could’ve just pinched me. After that, we were just walking and talking, we did both just as much as each other, the field was going for hours and we were so confused. But we had established that everything was too real for it to be a dream, and we weren’t drunk. It must’ve three hours of walking including two breaks until the scenery changed a bit. Cobble streets and sign saying Dateko. We were kind of surprised to see a name we recognise and carried on walking. When we got there, we saw that it was like a town, but all medieval-looking. There were tall buildings all made of stone and even a well in the centre.

Eventually we found someone who we recognised. It was those two tall middle blockers from Dateko. They were wearing weird costumes, like suits of armour or something and each of them had this big shield thingy. When we asked them where we were, they gave us funny looks and the brown-haired guy was probably going to say something shitty, but then the no-eyebrows guy eyed him _intently_. Then the brown-haired guy said that we were in the kingdom of Dateko, where the greatest materials have been discovered by its people and they showed us this huge iron wall. They said they were the first people to discover iron and made a wall to show off their superiority.

After that, me and Iwa-chan had a talk. A serious one. Because I had sort of figured out what was going on. We were in an alternative universe. There was no other explanation for it. That’s why the same people were here but all different. At least, they seemed to be the same people, I mean, no-eyebrows guy didn’t talk at all. Iwa-chan couldn’t believe and neither could I to be honest. Then I suggested asking about Aoba Johsai, if the insignificant Dateko is here then surely we must be here as well. So we did, and they pointed off to the west, ‘past the desert’ they said. And I was like, ‘ _great’_ , because we haven’t done enough walking already. But we set off anyway.

I remember during our long expedition, something came to me. And I started panicking, going on about how the hell we were supposed to get out of here and what the hell’s going on back in the other universe. Then Iwa-chan grabbed me and slapped me across my face and told me to ‘calm the fuck down’. He can be so overdramatic sometimes. He started saying that I was just hungry but I could tell it all began sinking in for him as well.  We walked for ages in the sand and were actually getting pretty hungry. It wasn’t that hot thank goodness but my feet were aching.

We ended up taking a break and that’s when we saw more people. People from Karasuno, you could tell by their ugly orange clothes, and I think I grimaced out of habit but Iwa-chan was pretty happy to see them. When we got closer, we saw that it was their ace and libero, and they were wearing bizarre costumes as well. The bearded guy had on clunky armour and with him a gigantic sword and their libero had all sorts of jars and ointments and general first aid stuff from the looks of it. And they had food. The ace spotted us ogling and offered us a ride to their place. They were in a carriage after all.

Iwa-chan said yes before I even thought about where we were going. But I didn’t complain. I was really tired. The ride was short and we made it to a camp site. And of course, we were greeted by all those other Karasuno lot. I think the whole team was there, except that I didn’t see their coach, captain and Tobio. And honestly I thought that was a good thing. If everyone here is the same person, then I’d rather walk that desert fifty times no breaks than see that bastard Tobio. Iwa-chan gave me a look like he just read my thoughts but he didn’t tell me off. He probably thinks the same.

So we were given food and Refreshing-kun, who was dressed as some sort of a wizard asked us where we were from. We didn’t know how to answer so it was lucky for us that the managers’ arrival cut our conversation short. He didn’t ask afterwards but I got the feeling there were still things on his mind. In fact, they were all side-glancing us like we were walking around headless or something. I told Iwa-chan that maybe they didn’t have manners in this universe but he was spacing out and didn’t hear me. Iwa-chan has his own ways with dealing with shit.

After dinner, we were planning on heading out again but that’s when the captain showed up wearing fancy-as-fuck clothes and told us to we should rest here before leaving. It was only then that I realised how dark it was. We said alright and got our own tent. Just when we were getting comfortable, I heard familiar voices from outside our tent and reckoned they belonged to Chibi-chan and Glasses guy. But actually, three of them came, Pinch Server was with them as well. They wanted to ask us more, like we were from and what we were. I didn’t know what to say to both of those questions until Iwa-chan bailed me out with the ‘sorry-we’re-really-tired’ excuse.

But although I couldn’t answer their questions, I wanted them to answer some of mine. Who were they, as in, what were they? And what’s their Karasuno kingdom like? I felt like such an idiot asking such a stupid and freaky question but it seemed genuine to them. And the answer was actually not what I was expecting, Chibi-chan was talking the most and said he was a knight, while Glasses guy was a guard, and Pinch Server was a reserve warrior. I came to the conclusion that in this universe, everyone here has a status, captains are kings, setters are wizards, liberos must be healers and spikers are knights.

Then they continued talking, well, more like boasting, about their kingdom getting better and growing. ‘We’ll never be called the fallen crows again!’ or something along the lines of that is what Chibi-chan had declared. He was going to carry on rambling but Iwa-chan yawned and Pinch Server led them out. ‘Way to make it obvious’ I told Iwa-chan but he said that he actually _was_ tired and told me to shut up. Then after that, we went to sleep.


	2. Just Another Tourist

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Wassup people!! Its nice to finally update and while this isn't the most popular Oikage fic that i've uploaded, i hope the rest of you who have read it enjoy it  
> This chapter is shorter than the first one and the next chapter is even shorter. Sorry about that!
> 
> Thank you for reading! :)

When we woke up, it was really busy everywhere and I thought I had slept through half the day but the sun hadn’t even risen.  We were going to set off anyway and the captain asked us where we were going. Iwa-chan explained how some guy from Dateko showed us where Aoba Johsai was and that was where we were heading. He seemed really happy all of a sudden and apparently it was because Dateko have recently become allies with Karasuno and are trading materials for fighting power. They gave us food for the road and that was that.

Then Iwa-chan said something that made me frown ‘cause I couldn’t care less, but he said how Tobio-chan wasn’t there. Maybe he went on a quest and died. Of course, I didn’t say that out loud. It took us another long trip but it was definitely shorter than before so when we made it there I was in pretty high spirits. But thinking that then obviously jinxed it. Our Seijoh kingdom was way bigger than Dateko’s and every building was nicely decorated with cool designs and carvings in the walls. And our iconic blue colour was everywhere in the form of flags. We were obviously prosperous. It made me grin and I gave Iwa-chan the eyebrows, he didn’t hit and actually laughed so he was probably in a good mood too. I double jinxed it.

We had a good look around but everyone seemed kind of tense. Which was strange because apparently they were gonna have this massive party celebrating Seijoh’s 150th anniversary. Damn. That's when this big crowd went past us and I spotted Kunimi on this carriage thing. When I sent to say hi, Kindaichi pointed a spear at me. I was like 'what the fuck?!' Because there's no way Kindaichi is gonna point a spear at me and get away with it. All I wanted to do was say hi, so I kind of... pushed him out of the way. That's when I turned around to see Iwa-chan pinning Kindaichi like how police do when they arrest someone but all these other knight looking people came and smashed our faces on the floor. 'Take these two to the dungeons, we'll deal with them after the ceremony', it was Kindaichi in his serious tone and I got one last look at Kunimi before we were dragged away. And then _shit_ 'cause Kunimi was wearing a fuckin' crown. The lot who were nudging us along seemed awfully familiar but I couldn't put my finger on them by voice alone. So I turned my head to get a look and that's when Mad dog-chan growled and spat in my face, I swore at him and then Yahaba knocked me out.


	3. Admitting You're A Dumbass

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter! Different POV as well! Enjoy :)

Today had to be probably the worst day this week, and that's including Thursday when Kindaichi takes his shift outside my cell. I hate him so much. He can't just let me sit in silence, he's always trying to rile me up by calling me 'King' and I hate that most of the time, it works, but I can't do anything about it. Not when I'm stuck in prison. So I let him make fun of me, I let everyone do it because they hate me and I'm an idiot for messing everything up. Even so, today is worse than Thursday. It's the 150th Anniversary and everyone's too busy preparing for the ceremony that they forgot to feed me, so I've been starving since morning and it's gotten me in a grouchy mood. So when two new people get thrown into my cell, I hide in the corner and glare at them from the darkness because last time I had to share a cell, the twins ended up pinning me down, one of them beating me up while the other got 'turned on' by my expression apparently. They got moved two days later, but they definitely left their mark. I wasn't gonna let my guard down again, that's what I told myself, but when the two guards outside of my cell came inside and started prodding one of the new people, I felt uneasy. 

Then they were saying how 'pretty good' one of them was and were making plans to take him to their own quarters. It was disgusting. So I stood up from my corner and told them to get lost and leave the guy alone. One of them swung his bat and hit me on my hand as I put it up, but it made them give up and they went to being outside my cell. It turned out that they actually broke my fingers. Now I really wasn't looking forward to meeting those two newcomers. I broke my fingers helping one of them! Why did I do that? That 'pretty good' gorgeous brunette better thank me afterwards. And I retreated into the dark corner and winced at my empty stomach and fingers and glare at them from beneath my ebony fringe.


	4. The Guy In The Corner

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd just like to thank everyone for being so patient with me!  
> I know I'm slow at updating, and I'm trying to do better, so I really appreciate it that you guys have still stuck around - especially since this fic is the least popular one I've ever written!  
> :(  
> But I will continue with it and hopefully you will like the conclusion of it :)

The first thing I felt when I woke up was how cold my face was. The second thing I felt was how sore it was too.  _So much for being social_ , I thought. I had a quick glance at where I was and nearly shrieked when I saw I was in a prison cell, with Iwa-chan next to me. I called him and nudged him a couple of times before he groaned back to life. Then Iwa-chan was all like ’where are we? What happened?’ But it seemed as if he didn’t want an answer because he started yelling at me for being stupid and picking a fight. ‘I didn’t pick no fight’ I told him but he headbutted me and said that if he hadn’t stepped in, I would be lying on the floor with a spear through my back. Ouch. Kindaichi, what the fuck. We both shut up and Iwa-chan said sorry, but I said it was OK because he saved my life and technically it was my fault. Then he said it wasn’t my fault because we’re both in this crazy world and that no one was to blame for that. When he said that I almost started panicking again about how we were supposed to get out but Iwa-chan was looking somewhere and that caught me out.

I followed Iwa-chan's gaze but just landed on a corner. ‘What are you looking at?’ I asked him, but the shuffling interrupted me and I saw two bare feet poking out from the darkness before they tucked themselves in.  _There was someone there?_  I thought. So apparently we weren’t the only criminals in this place. Then Iwa-chan began some awkward conversation, trying to befriend the person in the corner like they were some tiny kitten or something. The cringe sounded something like ‘hey, uh, my name’s Iwaizumi. What’s your name?’ but he just got utterly blanked. But now that my eyes were adjusting to the blackness of the corner, I could make out the silhouette of the person. They were shuffling again but then made a little squeaking sound and were practically melting into the wall. What? Do we smell or something? Iwa-chan was still at it with ‘we ain’t gonna hurt you’, yet the person in the corner didn’t move. 

I told Iwa-chan to leave the guy but he just looked at me like I’m an idiot.  _Yes_ , I can recognise that look. So yeah, the next few minutes were spent with me trying to warm up my face and Iwa-chan getting ignored. It was getting on my nerves because can’t the guy just come out? Eventually Iwa-chan gave up, and when I said he didn’t have the charms like I did, he smacked me and told me to do better. I wasn’t going to turn down the challenge, so I got up and went right to the corner, grabbed the guy and pulled him out of the darkness. He landed on his hands and knees and Iwa-chan made a really weird sound. Then I had a good look at the guy who was in the corner and I swear I felt my jaw hit the floor. Because Tobio-chan was looking really spooked and just crawled back into the corner. Naturally I was the first one to react and got pissed at how shit my luck was - getting stuck in prison with Tobio?!

_Great, just great._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapters are short...  
> meh  
> I hope they're still in character though!  
> The next chapter will be coming soon!


	5. He's Not As Bad I Thought

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, I promised I was gonna try update sooner didn't I? Well, here's your next chapter!  
> And yes, for those of you who have noticed, I have changed the summary - I thought I could get more people to read this if I made it sound more enticing. :p
> 
> Anyway, enjoy reading!

Sure, my situation was bad, but what really ticked me off was that when I tried calling Tobio, he blanked me as well.  _That prick_. I could’ve shown him a thing or two right then and there and was just about to when Iwa-chan held me back. He said that even though this person looks like the same Kageyama, he isn’t. Then I reminded Iwa-chan that everyone here has the same personality, so this Tobio will be a dick just like the other one. He didn’t stop me after that and I grabbed Tobio by the arm and yanked him out of the corner again. I wasn’t going to let go. But maybe Iwa-chan was right because Tobio’s face was nothing like I had ever seen before. He looked scared. The other Tobio never looked scared because he was a cocky shit who thought he could handle everything. But this Tobio... And I let go. He didn’t scramble away this time and just hunched over.

Me and Iwa-chan got the chance to have another good look and what we saw was kind of horrifying. Tobio was skinny. Unhealthily skinny. And he looked beaten and batteered but I couldn’t shake the thought that his punishment was finally being delivered. But I also couldn’t help relaxing a little. After a while, Tobio still hadn’t straightened up and I asked him what was wrong, I thought he wouldn’t say anything but he actually spoke. He said he was starving. And most people nowadays use that expression lightly but I think he genuinely meant that. So I went over to the door and started yelling for food. Then Makki and Mattsun were there in some uniform and were smiling really weirdly. ‘Just sit tight and we’ll get your food, sweetie’, then Makki asked if he could feed me and I was like  _‘WHAT?!’_  This place just got a whole lot weirder. 

I sat back down and looked over at Tobio who had finally sat up, but he was clearly in pain. I wanted to start a conversation - maybe it was to try and see if Tobio really wasn’t a douche – and I asked how old he was. Who knows? Maybe age works differently in this universe but he said ‘seventeen’ so maybe it doesn’t. I asked him when the last time was that he got fed and he said yesterday evening, they only give leftovers mainly and they’re supposed to feed him in the morning but everyone was too busy with the ceremony. It was really strange to hear Tobio speak without him sounding like a jerk or adding smart comments in there. It was also pretty nice. 

As if Tobio wasn’t already abnormal, he seemed to have been able to knock the air out of me with just his own eyes. The moonlight pooled in through the barred window and his whole face was glowing. He looked up at me and I noticed then that his hair was longer than what I was used to, it fell above his eyelashes and made the blue in his irises brighten. It was the prettiest thing I had ever seen. And then I didn’t have to worry about my face being cold because my cheeks were all red and I really needed to calm down before Iwa-chan spotted me like this. Good thing two plates of food came and Iwa-chan picked them up while Makki and Mattsun made kissy faces at me, but then they frowned and started shouting through the door, Tobio responding with just as much venom. Then they left and we sat down together with our food. Iwa-chan asked what that was all about and Tobio just said ‘daily routine stuff’. 

We ended up giving more of our food to Tobio for obvious reasons and I was trying hard not to stare but I’ve never seen Tobio act like that. There was no bitchy smirk on his face and no trace of his haughty attitude, but the one thing that I truly couldn’t get over was his eyes, how wide they were and innocent they made him look. However, I could also the light from them fading, only to leave dull orbs and the face of concealed grief. Was this the universe’s doing? Could a universe even make you suddenly drawn to someone else?  _Yeah, it probably could_ , I told myself. Either that or it was Tobio being a weirdo again, I mean, why would I be attracted to him? There’s no reason at all. Yep. None what-so-ever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oikawa is talking about the 'other Tobio' when he says his punishment is finally being delivered  
> I hope that wasn't too hard to figure out
> 
> Feedback is much appreciated! :)


	6. What Was Done & What Needs To Be Done

I was basically day-dreaming. How  _not_  cool was that? 

I snapped back to reality, well, what I thought was reality, (I was still hoping it was just a stupid nightmare) and was surprised to meet blue eyes. Although Tobio ducked his head quickly. Iwa-chan tried to make conversation and this time it was more successful. He asked Tobio why he was in prison and Tobio began to explain what happened.

‘I’ll start from the beginning’.

He said that Aoba Johsai was where he was raised, he doesn’t know the origin of his birth but he suspects it wasn’t of royal blood. He lived in the castle since he was adopted by the Kunimi family, who have been good friends with the Oikawa family and had members of their family working in the council. They had a significant amount of power. He discovered his abilities as a wizard early on and began training. He was eight when they told him he would be the heir to the next throne. He had been shocked since apparently _I_  was supposed to be the next heir. Tobio told us how he trained hard, but as he grew in strength and power, he noticed a change in the way people acted towards him. Only now after everything did he realise their eyes that looked at him were full of malice.

He winced and me and Iwa-chan bowed our heads. ‘A-anyway’ he continued, he said that there was a coup d'état against him in favour of me. They ended up framing him for the murder of the current king at that time, both to get rid of Tobio and so that I could ascend to the throne quicker. Tobio said he was exiled since there was no evidence to prove that he didn’t do it and practically everyone by then wanted him gone anyway. After he was banished, he travelled alone until he found Karasuno, they accepted him with warm arms and he spent some of the happiest moments of his life there.

‘Until...’ I felt dread pool in my stomach and I knew that the bad part was coming. ‘Somehow’, he breathed with a shaky voice, ’somehow they knew I had become Karasuno’s official wizard’. I could already predict what was going to be said, and finished Tobio’s sentence by saying that Seijoh didn’t wasn’t Tobio fighting against them as they acknowledged his skills. Tobio nodded solemnly while I fought back the urge to punch the wall – why was I so irritated? OK, it was understandable to some extent considering the whole kingdom was crooked and cruel, and the way they treated him was like shit, but at the same time, I hardly knew this Tobio. Heck, I hated the other one. Why was my body twitching to comfort Tobio in a hug? Like I was actually sympathising with him?  _Stupid, stupid universe._  

Iwa-chan asked if that’s when they sent him to prison and he nodded again. That’s when my rage flew out and I slammed my fist on the ground. It was probably also the stress of everything else that got to me, but I started shouting about how unfair all of this was, I think I lost it for a moment and it was surprisingly Makki and Mattsun outside that snapped me out of it. They banged on the door for me to keep it down and that reminded me of where I was, not just in prison but also in this entirely bizarre universe. They reminded me that there’s nothing good to get out from screaming your head off, it won’t change what’s already happened.

It was just my heavy breathing that stopped the cell from being totally silent until Tobio asked me if I was OK. Tobio... asked  _me_ if I was OK. Tobio, who had been through hell and back and was stuck in prison starving, asked  _me_ if I was OK. That was insanely funny for some reason, and I lost it for the second time that day. I recall hysterically laughing to the point where it got painful, to the point where tears were streaming down my face and my laughs turned into sobs because the joke was on me. This was reality. And I was beginning to believe it would stay that way. But I wouldn’t be Tooru if I gave up, it just wasn’t something my pride could ever handle.

After I dried my tears and sniffed a couple of times, Tobio being closer than I remembered, I turned to him and asked if he knew how to get us out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We finally learned how Tobio came to become a prisoner  
> I hope the explanation made sense!  
> And Tooru had a breakdown, poor child!


	7. Trust, And Something Else On My Shoulder....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ....It's Called Affection

I know I was confused when Tobio unexpectedly looked triumphant, eyes glittering in a way I didn’t think was possible after everything that happened to him. But there he was all sparkly-eyed and looking at me like he had just won a bet against me.  _Cute._ ** _NOPE_** _. Shut up Universe_.

Tobio may seem like a decent person now, but if there was one thing me and Iwa-chan know about this universe, it’s that everyone’s personalities are practically identical to the original universe’s. That had to include Tobio, and there must’ve been a legitimate reason why they hated him. Maybe he was obnoxiously conceited, a show off, it would only be a matter of time until Tobio showed his true self. But as of now... and that’s when I asked him what he looked so happy about. He said he knew he was right about us not being from this universe. Iwa-chan asked how he knew and Tobio said that the me and Iwa-chan, my personal knight, from this universe died not too long ago. Although there was the possibility that we had survived ( _survived? Survived from what?_ ), the fact that we didn’t know how Tobio got into prison proved that we weren’t from here.

Then a thought occurred to me, and I questioned Tobio about what everyone else thought of us. Clearly if we were well known, and we certainly are considering I was king, what did they think about seeing us – that we’re the supposedly dead king and knight? Other than my... ur, ahem... royal greeting with Kindaichi and Kunimi, why did they throw us in prison? Tobio explained how there was never an official sighting of our dead bodies, but they had assumed we were dead because: not only were Shiratorizawa on our case after they held me hostage and I escaped, but Iwa-chan went into battle to save me. The chances of us getting unscathed were next to none ( _I guess that explains the ‘surviving’ thing_ ). And on top of that, it was like we had completely vanished off the face of the universe. No amount of searching even directed them to where we could be. If we were alive, we would have returned to the kingdom by now. Taking everything into consideration, there was no other explanation except that we had died somewhere. Word was spread and since there was no official sighting, people have tried to pose as us and claim rights to the throne. These people got sent to prison without even a trial. Yikes. But that explained our situation pretty well, but how long did they plan to keep us in here?

Tobio just shrugged, he looked pretty tired and I felt bad for him after remembering that he’d been in here for a year now. He sighed and I faced him with anticipation, ‘I know a way to get you home’, I couldn’t help but smile at that and I asked eagerly for him to elaborate. He said he knows about a spell that can create a portal, the portal can transport us to different universes, but he doesn’t have his wand so he can’t cast the spell. I rolled my eyes knowingly, of course there was a catch, he couldn’t do magic without his wand.  _Well, time to start getting cosy in this world, since how the hell_ _were_ _we supposed to get Tobio’s wand when we’re stuck here?!_ But, there was a glimmer of hope, Tobio said that he had an idea where his wand could be and that, if he was correct about this, someone would come to relocate us seeing as low-class prisoners like me and Iwa-chan were usually in a different area of the dungeon.

‘How soon is soon?’

‘Soon as in sometime today’ was Tobio’s smooth response. And at that point I was honestly quite... Impressed? With Tobio – was that the right word? Proud? I didn’t really know and what to call that strange feeling, it was just sort of nice to look at Tobio and know that he was doing alright. Tobio gestured for us to huddle up and so that Makki and Mattsun outside couldn’t eavesdrop on our plan and being closer didn’t help get rid of that strange feeling. Tobio explained how we needed to get the guards distracted when they came to move us out, he told me that’d be my job and when he told me what to do, I wouldn’t say I was thrilled. More like disgusted, but I couldn’t say ‘no’ after Tobio put his hand on my shoulder and reassured me, encouraged me, put his trust into me. Iwa-chan and Tobio were to take out the guards, including Makki and Mattsun. Then we were home-free. And it looked like our time was up. Two other guards – more members of Seijoh – approached our cell. One of them unlocked the gate.

It was time to go home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Hey! Hey!  
> Chapters will be coming up a little slower than before now, since my sisters are home for the summer holiday - and that makes life more hectic, to tell the truth :)  
> I hope you guys are enjoying the story, and thank you for the Kudos and comments you have given me up to this point!  
> We are nearing the end but with still a few more chapters to go!  
> Love you all <3<3<3


	8. A Turn For The Worst

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Back with another chapter!  
> This one is a little longer than normal, I think?  
> Anyway, I hope you guys will enjoy it :)

My job was so humiliating, and Tobio was definitely gonna have to pay for this. What he was asking of me was beyond embarrassing and despite what people may have assumed about me, I had never purposely seduced someone. A bit of flirting? Yes, but it was always a little wave or an innocent wink, every time before it was purely my natural beauty that got them head over heels for me. Now though, I had to intentionally get them to turn their heads my way. And maybe I was slightly looking forward to it, I wanted to know just how much I was capable of. I began my little ‘show’ right as the guard had opened the door, exactly as we planned. It started with a sultry greeting, a ‘hey there~’ whispered in such a low tone that the whole cell went silent in an instant, everyone’s eyes were on me. That was good. The I bit my lip and swayed my hips, slow and controlled. This wasn’t about them getting pleased, it was about keeping them waiting, occupied. I saw Makki peer through the door, then Mattsun a second later when he was quickly called over.

The two newest guards had both entered the cell and Iwa-chan and Tobio were slowly creeping to take down Makki and Mattsun while they weren’t paying attention. I continued captivating them and could feel all five pairs of eyes on me.  _Wait, five?_  There was Makki and Mattsun, The two other guards, and then...  _Blue eyes_. It wasn’t just gawking like the others were doing, I felt the admiration and awe in that intense gaze. I involuntarily blushed. Soon the pairs of eyes went from five, to four, to three, then two, and then to one. And it stayed that way even after I stopped behaving like a stripper. The guards laid unconscious on the floor, knocked out by either a precise smack to the side of the head or from oxygen deprivation. We all sighed together, then me and Iwa-chan asked Tobio which way we had to go now. He pointed down the dungeon and said there was an office that held all the confiscated weapons.

There weren’t any other guards in the hallway and I took the opportunity to quietly continue conversing with Tobio. Although there was a risk of someone unknown to us listening in on our conversation and discovering that we were out, there was something addicting about talking to him and I couldn’t explain it. There were questions that I still had about this world and as much as I hated it, I wanted to know what Tobio was living through. I asked about the different kingdoms, we met the Dateko lot and slept with the Karasuno lot for a night, but I was curious to know which kingdom was dominating. Tobio said currently Shiratorizawa was the strongest Kingdom, then next was Seijoh but recently Karasuno has become a serious threat. There was a rumour going around that Karasuno, along with it’s allies of Nekoma, Dateko and now Fukurodani, were going to declare war on Seijoh and then on Shiratorizawa. It was a concerning rumour that held true to its word as Karasuno, combined with it’s allies, outnumbered Shiratorizawa big time. And with Seijoh being a little smaller, we were basically toast. That was why everyone has been so tense: they could get thrown into war any day now. I was gonna ask about Kunimi and Kindaichi but Iwa-chan told us to shush and have a look at the office. About seven to eight guards were swarming the place and just hearing all their chatter dragged my hopes down.  _How were we supposed to get passed all of them?_  And again, it was Tobio who lifted them up again. At this point, I wasn’t even waiting for Tobio to show his bastard self because time and time again had he kept proving to me that he was a good person. He was sweet, cute and endearing, I thought he had to be an exception to the whole ‘same-personality’ rule that me and Iwa-chan had cleverly concocted. It was the only reason I could think of, but what I didn’t understand was, why Tobio? 

Nothing came about from me thinking about it by myself, so I went back to paying attention to Tobio who said that most of the guards should be going to their lunch break soon and we’ll just have to wait it out for the numbers to be more manageable. In the meantime, we had to hide so they wouldn’t spot us, Iwa-chan hid between two columns of wall in the shadows, it was where the torches of fire were held but if you ducked, no one could see you. There was a second, identical structure like that on the opposite side of the wall and me and Tobio hid in there together. The place wasn’t cramped, for one person anyway but for two it was a tight fit and me and Tobio had to really squish ourselves if we wanted to stay out of sight. The moment was... pleasant, in its own kind of suffocating way. But we were close, and even though I thought it would be awkward, it was like my body had been waiting for the opportunity. And in the small space between us, I whispered to Tobio and asked if he was OK. Like truthfully. He’d been through a lot and doing it all on your own doesn’t make it any easier. He nodded in the darkness and I could see the outline of his lips move to say something, but then he was cut off by the voice of a guard announcing it was time for their lunch break.

A few minutes later and the chatter from before died out. We left the confined area and took a moment to observe the office again. There were three of them left and Iwa-chan said we could take them out easy. So we all snuck behind a guard and proceeded to squeeze the air out of them so that they’d fall into unconsciousness. Everything was going so well. But we had made a mistake. And it form in another guard, charging towards us in rage.  _Damn it._ We hadn’t anticipated a fourth person. The guy threw himself at Iwa-chan just as the other three guards closed their eyes. He grabbed him by the hair and kneed him in the stomach, then he right-hooked him in the jaw and sent Iwa-chan flying into the door. It all happened so quickly. He was gonna jump Tobio next but  _no way_  was I gonna let another person I cared about get hurt, and just as he grabbed Tobio’s arm, I round-house kicked him in the head. Knock out. I rushed to Tobio afterwards and asked if he was alright but the words were caught in my throat as a sort of impending doom came down on us. There was a deafening silence and I felt my hands go cold when I realised that... Iwa-chan wasn’t moving.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :)


	9. Get Me Out Of This Hellhole! Please!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I'm back with another chapter! Sorry it took some time getting it up but nevertheless, here you go!

We approached his limp body slowly, all the while in disbelief and a subtle feeling of dread because we just knew that the lump in our throat was there for a reason. I tried calling him, no response. I tried gently shaking his shoulder, no response. I checked his pulse, and immediately relief washed over me because there was a response. But the damage looked bad, Iwa-chan's lip was bust and his jaw was already bruising, I couldn’t even think about the state of his stomach. ‘What are we going to do?’ Tobio asked quietly,  _what are we going to do?_ Well, if anything, after the commotion we made, I was positive other people had been alerted and were probably on their way right here. Tobio seemed to have the same conclusion. It was obvious then that we had to get away asap, so without wasting any time whatsoever, I lifted Iwa-chan (with much difficulty) and set him on me piggyback style. Tobio swiftly made his way through the office and began searching for his wand. It wasn't anything I could help with since I didn't even know what exactly I would be looking for, so I stayed outside and kept a look out for any other guards that could show up.

We started getting frantic when we heard yelling from down the hall and knew that our time was coming to an end. But Tobio still hadn't found his wand and the yelling was only getting louder. I whisper-shouted for Tobio to hurry the fuck up and he turned to give a cold, hard glare, his message of _'don't ever talk to me like that again'_  was very clear and immediately I shut my mouth. I could hear the mini stampede of running men, all of them with the same destination in mind. I definitely started to panic. Right when one of the guards turned the corner to appear at the end of the hall, Tobio stumbled out of the trashed office with his wand. It didn't really need to be said what we had to do next, we just took off. Tobio was leading the way and he seemed to be familiar with the area, that much I could tell from how he didn't hesitate to turn one way and not the other, quickly barging through doors and taking us through long complicated looking halls.

I was starting to feel fatigue in my legs from Iwa-chan's weight all slumped on me and it was beginning to show with the ever-increasing distance between me and Tobio. By the time we actually stopped, for real without having to suddenly go again because people were still chasing us, I was practically wheezing. My arms had become jelly too and I just had to set Iwa-chan back on the ground. Tobio was looking pretty exhausted too, and he must be since he's just skin and bones running around and sitting in prison for year must've taken its toll on Tobio's body. In the midst of our huffing and puffing, I felt something stir next to me and then I heard a familiar groan. I almost couldn't believe my ears. Iwa-chan had woken up. Tobio seemed just as surprised as I did, and once we asked how Iwa-chan was feeling and all the other stuff, him replying that we just a bit sore, he asked about where we were. 

That's when I took the time to appreciate where Tobio had dropped us off, we were like, surrounded by massive hedges as if we were in an actual maze. I knew that wasn't the case and that the palace must have an extended garden close to the dungeon. Still, it was very effective in hiding us. We settled down and Tobio showed Iwa-chan his wand, all that was left to do was make the portal. And that was how the second ( _maybe third? It could be the fifth one at this point_ ) issue was introduced. I sensed the bad feeling the minute I caught Tobio's expression and internally whined at the absolute shit we were getting.  _Why?! Why doesn't Tobio know how to cast the spell?!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *rubs hands together and in a very sinister voice asks* Well... How was it?  
> :)  
> Next chapter is kind of short - I was having writer's block - Sorry!


	10. Hope and Trust Go Hand In Hand

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! I'm back! I put this on pause for a bit since there was that Oikage event, but now I'm working on something for the Oikage Big Bang coming up so.... the updates for this will again be slowing down. Plus I'm starting university soon.  
> Welp!  
> Sorry guys!!!!! I promise I'll try to be as quick as possible but just as a warning in advance!  
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy this (short) chapter :)

OK, I was peeved. I mean,  _seriously?!_  Couldn’t he have said something earlier about that?  _Oh wait. This must be Tobio’s bastard-self coming into play now._ But whatever was happening, the situation didn’t change. I was very close to chewing Tobio out about this whole mess, but that boy was more persuasive than he let on, and he laid out a proposal that was difficult to ignore. He started off with the statement that he  _does_ know how to do the spell. So what was that kid’s deal? Then he said that he knows what to do, but he’s never made a portal before. Ever. And apparently I was one of the few wizards that could, but my skill with the spell died with me. He said that he could try, but if he fails then there is a second option. ‘And what is that?’ Tobio answered by referring back to the death of King Oikawa and Knight Iwaizumi, I didn’t understand at first what that had to do with anything, but as he continued on, it all clicked into place.

Instead of the Other Me and Iwa-chan dying, they fled through a portal of their own. And that portal still exists somewhere. So if Tobio’s one didn’t work, then our backup would be that one. The only problem with the backup portal was that it would be incredibly difficult to locate since it would be invisible to all eyes except those that belonged to it’s creator. We just had to hope that Tobio’s portal worked. If we didn’t hope, it was as if we had given up. Our second option was as impossible as it was to reverse everything that had happened to lead up to this point. The creator of the backup portal was the other me, and he was long gone, meaning looking for that invisible backup was like looking for a certain strand of grass in a ten-acre large field.  _Impossible_. So hope was all we had. Although, hope can take you a long way.

And trust can take you further.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bit of a boring chapter  
> The next one will be better  
> Until next time! :)


	11. The Emotional Tornado

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmm... I didn't like this chapter very much... but it was necessary for the story. I won't blame you if you find it boring :)

So it was painfully clear that we had a legitimate dilemma. A game of chance and our lives were on stake. This one event, this one portal, this one spell – Tobio – was the determining factor of whether we had to live on the run for the rest of our lives or whether we could go back to playing volleyball in a normal, not-so-enchanted world, with friends that didn’t openly flirt with you. Yep, the stakes were high and I was seriously placing my bets on Tobio getting this thing right, I mean, no pressure on him or anything but our lives were at risk here. I only told him that a few couple of times, just so I was convinced that he was truly aware of what his actions meant to me and Iwa-chan. No pressure. But eventually, reassurance and encouraging words backfired when Tobio exploded in my face. ‘It’s not my fault some part of you is an asshole who refuses to teach people things, I would’ve got it down pat if you had given me just one lesson. I didn’t even get one lesson, not even one lesson!’

  
The rant from Tobio continued, but I wasn’t following anything he said, unless he was referring to the other me from this crazy universe. OK, that was a problem. First of all, that wasn’t me, that was another, probably a more douche-y version of me, and I had no consciousness of my actions as that person. Secondly, whatever issues Tobio and King Oikawa had, were in the past and bringing that up then was being plain petty. Thirdly, that situation with which Tobio was unfortunately in, wasn’t my fault, so him shouting at me was stooping to a new low and I wasn’t going to just stand there and let him pin the blame on me. And lastly, maybe if Tobio wasn’t such an asshole himself, people would actually like him, they wouldn’t avoid him like the plague and they wouldn’t throw him in prison! I made sure to voice each of my points in such a clear way that only an idiot wouldn’t understand. And surprise, surprise. Tobio didn’t understand.

  
But then.... neither did I. I retraced my words and.... I don’t know what happened. What the hell was I thinking? I was stressed - panicking, my life was on the line and having learned that there was a possibility of not going home got me scared. But those weren’t good enough excuses. I didn’t think anything would be after I saw Tobio’s face. He looked, dare I say it, heartbroken. But only for a blink of an eye before his face morphed into one of anger, and hatred. He clutched his wand tight in one hand and started backing away slowly, and that’s when I felt my stomach drop in pure horror. I was begging him inside my own mind for him not to do what I thought he was going to do, but he did it anyway. He turned and ran.

  
Iwa-chan called after him and was about to follow, but as he stood up, he doubled over in pain and fell back to the ground. We were both frozen as we watched Tobio go. It was hard to move, I think I was in a state of shock, but that didn’t stop Iwa-chan from going on a yelling spree. He grabbed the collar of my top and was raging about what I had just done. I was expecting to hear words of despair for our loss of a way home, but I was surprised to instead hear words about Tobio. I had hurt his feelings. He didn’t deserve that kind of treatment from me. He’s stressed about this just as much as we are. I don’t know what Tobio was like before so I’m not one to say something like that to him. He’s not who I think he is, he’s not the other Tobio. He’s different. We need to find him and apologize.

  
Those words that Iwa-chan shouted his throat dry to tell me were ringing in my head. He’s different. Oh God, what have I done? It wasn’t even a matter of whether we could play volleyball anymore, or whether we’d make it back in time for nationals, it was a matter of losing someone you cared for. And before that I didn’t know how much I really cared, if my racing heart was any indication. I’d say I was more worried about Tobio being caught and getting thrown into prison than me and Iwa-chan getting caught. I didn’t understand what this random sense of responsibility was, or where it had come from, why Tobio? He was nice, that much was clear, and he was gentle and considerate in his own shy way, even if he could never bring himself to fully trust anyone. But there were loads of people like that. Tobio wasn’t anyone special. And yet, my heart wouldn’t calm down in the slightest and I had a feeling finding Tobio would be the only way to fix it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well. This is the last chapter before a massive break where I focus on uni and also the Oikage Big Bang happening.  
> Sorry about that but I will return in due time.  
> Thanks to everyone who gave this a go, and I will try to satisfy you guys with the last bit of the story that we have left.  
> :)


End file.
